next. more local news on nbc bay area at 6:00. >> we'll see you then. on this sunday night, under siege. one of the most dangerous countries in the world on the brink of civil war. tonight an emergency meeting at the u.n. amid fears that al qaeda will capitalize on the chaos. troops targeted. a group claiming to be isis posts an online hit list of u.s. soldiers and encourages any terrorists to kill them. not so fast. what happened to waistlines when one city banned new fast food restaurants? the answer might surprise you. royal treatment. thousands gather to honor a monarch with an infamous reputation. a celebration 500 years in the making. ♪ >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. substituting tonight, savannah

guthrie. >> good evening. it is one of the most volatile and dangerous countries on the map. a safe haven for the most aggressive al qaeda branch in the world and the country of yemen is spiraling out of control tonight. world leaders scramble to the u.n. for an emergency meeting as the u.s. this weekend pulled out the last remaining special forces there saying it is no longer safe for them. this as a disturbing report surfaced of an alleged isis hit list. names, pictures and addresses of american soldiers published on-line as targets. we'll go to our pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski in a moment. but first white house correspondent kristin welker. good evening. >> good evening to you. in a statement released today, u.n. ambassador samantha power reaffirmed u.s. support for the president of yemen and strongly condemned the attacks by opposition forces. the u.n. security council signaling there will be consequences likely in the form of sanctions if the violence

doesn't end. rebels fired tear gas as sectarian fighting intensified in the streets of yemen. this afternoon, the u.n. security council held an emergency meeting and called for an end to the bloodshed. rebels drove out the u.s. backed president months ago. they have claimed large parts of the country and sieged taiz 85 miles from where the president established a base. the u.s. pulled out the last of the special forces key to the terrorism campaign after intensified fighting and a bloody mosque attack claimed by isis killed more than 100 people. >> we have been drawing down our presence as the situation has gone from bad to worse. >> reporter: yemen home to al qaeda is a breeding ground for terrorists. the underwear bombing who tried to bring down a jet liner in 2009 and one of the "charlie hebdo" shooters was trained in yemen. >> good intelligence stops plots

against the homeland. without that intelligence we cannot effectively stop it. that's what i'm concerned about. >> reporter: in an interview with nbc news last month, president obama said the u.s. will continue to combat terrorists in the region. >> we have been able to maintain pressure on al qaeda in that region. >> can you do that without a government that's a partner? >> we feel confident we can maintain that pressure. >> reporter: late today, u.s. official told nbc news that's still the case, but the chaos has created a new opening for al qaeda and isis to thrive. >> while they are certainly focused at the moment on things going on in yemen, we know they have objectives that go much further and include the united states. >> reporter: one foreign policy expert says the obama administration has the ability to fly unmanned drones in the region. u.s. officials won't comment on the drone program. meanwhile, president obama will meet with the new afghan president at the white house on tuesday but the crisis in yemen will continue to dominate foreign policy discussions this week. savannah.

>> kristin welker at the white house, thank you. now for reaction to a disturbing report that surfaced over the weekend. a group claiming to work for isis publishing names, addresses and pictures of u.s. soldiers, a hit list and a call for isis sympathizers to go after them. nbc's chief pentagon correspondent jim miklaszewski has that story tonight. good evening. >> reporter: savannah, this has long been one of isis' most effective, insidious weapons the internet. one of the biggest fears among counterterrorism officials here in the u.s. is that someday, some random lone wolf will strike. it's already happening. in tunisia at a tourist-filled museum. in paris and canada. isis claims it posted the names, photos and supposed addresses of 100 u.s. service members after it says it hacked in to military servers and databases.

the group called the islamic state hacking division claimed the 100 americans carried out air strikes against isis targets in iraq and syria, and that they should be killed in their own lands as they walk their streets thinking that they are safe. the terrorist website urged on any potential lone wolf, demanding what are you waiting for? defense officials tell nbc news the list does include some names of active duty service members, men and women, some deployed overseas, some combat pilots. the pentagon is urging anyone on the list to be cautious but has not made a decision to pull them off duty or provide personal protection at this time. even with the best intelligence, it is impossible to stop every random act of terrorism. while u.s. officials take every threat seriously, some say this appears to be about intimidation and propaganda or at least that's what they hope. savannah. >> jim miklaszewski in washington, thank you. now to politics and the first candidate to officially

get in to the race for president. no exploratory committee, no mulling the pros and cons. senator ted cruz of texas will announce tomorrow he's all in. nbc's kelly o'donnell on the conservative republican with the fiery rhetoric and bold ambition. >> reporter: the senator from houston -- >> thank you so very much. >> reporter: -- is ready to launch. >> this next election in 2016, i believe it is now or never. >> reporter: ted cruz is a 44-year-old princeton and harvard-educated lawyer. >> hillary clinton embodies the corruption of washington. >> reporter: a senator for two years and two months but he is rushing ahead of a broad field of rivals, still only exploring a presidential run. cruz chose liberty university, a home base of evangelicals to announce his bid. >> other republicans want to move away from social issues.

ted cruz by announcing at liberty is saying no, i'm your champion. >> reporter: cruz relishes battling the washington establishment and poking his own party leaders. >> i would not eat green eggs and ham. i do not like them, sam i am. >> reporter: does it embarrass you that congress is this dysfunctional? >> it should embarrass all of us. >> reporter: in an nbc news "wall street journal" poll this month, 40% of republican voters said they could see themselves supporting cruz as the nominee placing him eighth. son of a cuban immigrant, cruz is a married father of two who needed his daddy skills in new hampshire last week when his rhetoric appeared to scare a little girl. >> the whole world is on fire. >> the world is on fire? >> yes, your world is on fire. but you know what, your mommy's here and everyone's here to make sure the world you grow up in is

even better. >> reporter: a tea party fire brand ready to shake up the gop field. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. this will be a key week for the multimillionaire and accused murderer robert durst. he's due back in a louisiana courtroom tomorrow to ask for bail on felony gun charges as his high-profile, high-priced lawyer wants him sent to california to defend him against murder charges there. nbc's ron mott has the latest. >> reporter: before robert durst faces a murder charge in california, he's due back in a new orleans court tomorrow, asking for bail on felony weapons and drug charges after authorities found a loaded gun in his hotel room. if convicted, he faces a possible life sentence. >> louisiana actually has the potential to put him in jail longer than anyone else on those gun charges. >> reporter: durst's lawyer is set to challenge his arrest calling it unlawful, based on an invalid california warrant. the attorney wants to get durst to a california court soon to defend against charges he killed his friend susan berman, which he denies.

>> i would think the louisiana authorities and california authorities would get together and say look, let's have him here in california where we have serious charges. >> we the jury find the defendant, robert durst not guilty. >> reporter: the same high profile attorney got durst acquitted in 2003 on the basis of defense of killing his neighbor. he xwis dismembered him. durst can afford a top tier defense. he is worth $100 million from his family's prominent real estate business, the manhattan headquarters here just happened to be located across the street from hbo, which recently aired "the jinx." durst's lawyer says the show is compelling entertainment but not proof of murder. meanwhile, authorities are collecting evidence around the country. 60 boxes of documents were just retrieved from this home in upstate new york belonging to a friend. legal experts suggest any delay in transferring durst might help

prosecutors in los angeles. >> it gives california a little bit of a chance to do more investigating. >> reporter: others are following suit, re-examining cold case files in vermont, new hampshire and elsewhere for possible links to robert durst. ron mott, nbc news, new york. in texas, a manhunt is under way for a suspect who shot a woman during an apparent incident of road rage. the victim was driving to work on a houston freeway when she honked at the driver of an suv. that man later pulled up alongside her and fired a bullet through the passenger window, hitting her in the back of the head. somehow the young woman was able to pull over and call 911. she is now recovering at a hospital. a moment of silence in washington state today to remember those who lost their lives in last year's deadly mudslide. it was one year ago today a rain-soaked hillside collapsed triggering the deadliest landslide in u.s. history. and leveling the small town of oso. 43 people were killed. thousands gathered in

brooklyn to mourn the victims of a devastating house fire with a toll too much to bear. seven children were killed, all of the victims siblings between the ages of 5 and 16. their mother and one sister were able to escape those flames. tonight, they remain in critical condition. thousands gathered in britain today to honor an english monarch who died more than 500 years ago but whose grave had been lost to the ages. three years ago, the remains of king richard iii were discovered in all places, under a parking lot in central england. now the king is getting the royal treatment many feel he deserves. nbc's keir simmons has our report tonight. >> reporter: today thousands witnessed the final chapter in 500 years of history. king richard iii's remains were taken by horse-drawn carriage through lester. some gathered at dawn at the field where the king was killed in battle in 1485.

his skeleton was found in 2012, below a parking lot. because of determination of a writer. >> i felt his grave was beneath my feet. >> reporter: she was right. a painstaking process began. the search for dna confirmation led to a descendent of the king a soft-spoken cabinetmaker. from canada. >> something out of a movie in a way. >> reporter: he is richard's grand nephew, 17 generations back and asked to fashion the king's coffin. >> history is coming alive in front of me and i'm involved in it. >> reporter: a history many would like to see rewritten. richard iii didn't have the best reputation. some accuse him of jailing his nephews here at the tower of london and having them murdered. thanks to shakespeare, generations of actors have played him as evil to the core. laurence olivier. >> my kingdom for a horse.

>> in "mckellen," kevin spacey. >> now is the winter of our discontent. >> reporter: but richard's defenders say the sinister image is unfair and hope future generations will see him in a new way. >> you have seen the king, haven't you? >> yeah. >> in a box. a king in a box. >> reporter: after the ceremony at lester cathedral tonight, the last english king to die in battle will lie in repose until his reburial on thursday, proving history can be a long time in the making. keir simmons, nbc news, london. >> remarkable. when "nightly news" continues on this sunday, one city takes an aggressive stand against obesity by banning new fast food restaurants. but what happened next might come as a shock. later one of the biggest achievements in space exploration and almost went terribly wrong.

seven years ago los angeles took a step in the battle against obesity. it banned new stand-alone fast food restaurants in one of the poorest sections of the city hoping to encourage healthier fare. a new study is weighing in with the results and the findings may surprise you. here's nbc's hallie jackson. >> look at this. they are flowering. >> reporter: they have plenty of produce to pick in their garden which they planted a year ago. >> cauliflower, cabbage. >> reporter: desperate for healthy, affordable food close by. let's say you didn't have the garden, what are your options here in south l.a.? >> drive to a 99 cents store that has a good produce section. >> how far away is that? >> nine to 15 miles. >> reporter: los angeles officials wanted people in the neighborhood to have more options.

in 2008, the city passed a law that banned stand-alone fast food restaurants from opening in south l.a., hoping healthier spots would take their much-needed place. an unprecedented move in the fight against obesity. >> jack-in-the-box across the street, corner liquor store on many corners. >> reporter: some experts argue it was a total flop. in this neighborhood, hardly any healthy alternatives open for business. >> it is a reality. this is where we live and what's available. you have to choose not to eat it. >> reporter: a new pizza hut opened because of a loophole in the law allowing fast food only in strip malls. >> what does it achieve? absolutely nothing. >> an economist studied the ban's impact and found numbers went in the wrong direction. just before the law passed 63% of people in south l.a. reported being overweight or obese. four years later, that figure jumped to 75%.

>> people eat more fast food, more often now than in 2007. that's true for south l.a., true for the rest of the city, true for the county. >> reporter: public health experts say supporters of laws like this shouldn't get discouraged. >> it's not as if one thing caused obesity and it's not going to be one thing that cures obesity. the more time there is, the more likelihood it will have an impact. >> reporter: the guevaras get it. >> it is hard to change people's behaviors. >> reporter: but for them it is easier to harvest their own healthy options and they are willing to share. >> tastes so much better from the garden. >> reporter: hallie jackson, nbc news, los angeles. coming up next, a real hack job being done by some of the brightest kids out there.

there's a picture that says it all. it has been a weekend of upsets in ncaa basketball. cameras caught that villanova piccolo player following her team's heart-breaking loss to nc state. another shocker, number two virginia fell to michigan state. it was a bittersweet victory for the coach of notre dame. mike brey's mother passed away early yesterday and just hours later, the irish clenched a spot in the sweet 16 after a dramatic overtime win. now to a geek squad on the front lines of cyber security. with on-line hackers a growing threat.line hackers a growing threat. tonight we have the story of one program turning to younger warriors to help combat that problem. >> reporter: it might seem like the world is filled with ruthless cyber villains. >> got to study. got to work on this. >> reporter: at north hollywood high school -- >> since i was little, i just liked computers. >> reporter: they are grooming the next generation of good guys. >> these kids are going to safeguard my retirement funds.

>> reporter: with hack attacks making headlines on a regular basis, kids are never too young to start learning high-tech security. >> doing what i am doing on a larger scale is incredibly in need this these days. >> reporter: each year they join thousands of bright students in a national competition called cyber patriot. their task is to secure computer systems against cyberspace invaders. >> they have to be right 100% of the time. the hacker only has to get lucky once to get in. >> north hollywood high school. >> reporter: last year north hollywood won the national title. hollywood won the title. this year in second. every year some cyber patriots get internships, even though this year in second. every year some cyber patriots get internships, even though they are still in high school. >> we need that talent to fill these hundreds of thousands of jobs that are open now. >> reporter: gregory becker was just 16 when he interned at the global security company northrop grumman. >> it was amazing because i can learn the tricks and the skills

that these senior cyber defenders have picked up over so many years. >> reporter: today he's in a four-year cyber security honors program at the university of maryland. like the kids in north hollywood, filling the desperate need for cyber super heros. joe fryar, nbc news, los angeles. when we come back, the 12 minutes that changed the history of space exploration.

finally tonight, one of the most pivotal moments in the history of space exploration took place 50 years ago this week. it wasn't an american accomplishment. instead it was a soviet cosmonaut who did something no human ever done before, becoming the first to walk in outer space. it was spectacular, terrifying and pushed this country's space program, too. here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: remember that heavy breathing in stanley cooper's classic movie "a space odyssey" that's a recreation of a cosmonaut alexey leonov in the first-ever space walk. 12 minutes as big as the first wright brothers' first flight. alexey leonov stepped out of his spaceship in to outer space. he is a robust 80-year-old who remembers every second of his mission. >> translator: i heard how my heart was pumping.

i could hear myself breathe. >> three, two, one. >> reporter: it was an extraordinary achievement in the middle of a space race, yet again the soviets had bested the americans. >> nbc news presents "man walks in space". >> reporter: in a glass case at the smithsonian air and space museum, a replica of the suit and helmet alexey leonov wore that day. today we take spacewalks for granted, but 50 years ago this had never been done before. it was risky and he almost and alexey leonov almost didn't survive. in the vacuum of space his suit suddenly ballooned. if he didn't release the air pressure, he would never get back in the spaceship. >> translator: something needed to happen. so kwhawhat should i do? what should i have done? dropped the pressure. >> reporter: he managed to get back inside, but then on reentry, the ship landed hundreds of miles off course, in a remote snow-covered wolf-infested siberian forest

where he and a fellow cosmonaut spent two days awaiting rescue. >> alexey leonov is a hero. there's no question about it. he is a hero in the soviet union, in russia today and quite frankly a hero in the space world all the way around. >> reporter: three months after leonov's mission, ed white was the first american to walk in space. he died two years later in the "apollo 1" disaster. 50 years after that first space walk, the world remembers the courage of the cosmonaut who led the way. tom costello, nbc news, washington. >> how about that? that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. lester holt will be here tomorrow. i'm savannah guthrie reporting from new york. i'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning on "today" for all of us here at nbc news, have a good evening.

nbc bay area news starts now. >> right now at 6:00 shaking in the south bay, thousands of screaming soccer fans pack the earthquake's brand new $100 million stadium. >> thank you for joining us. happening right now, can you hear the rumbling. soccer lovers in the bay area have a brand new home. marianne favro is the lucky one with the crowd. what are fans saying about the big day? >> reporter: they are saying they absolutely love the stadium. as the entire